Many Christians do not read the
Bible in their native language
Many people are intimidated by the size and apparent complexity of the Bible. They are content to sit in the pew and let the professionals, pastors, tell them what the Bible says. However, God holds each person accountable for their own knowledge and practice. Do you really want to stand before God giving an account based on what the pastor said?
American education has experienced a dumbing down since the heady days of the 1960s. After the Soviet Union launched Sputnik American education rushed to train everyone to be scientists. However, social scientism took over in the late 1970s and education turned nearly 180 degrees to produce a person who felt significant rather than a person who could perform significant life achievements. This was as true in churches as in other disciplines.
Americans became more enamored with frivolous entertainments that glorified ignorance and scorned education. The jock was more appreciated than the geek. The cool gal was portrayed as more beautiful than the smart girl who was usually displayed as plain, unkept, shy and generally less desirable than the gal who would show you a good time after the school game. On Happy Days it was the Fonz, epitome of both cool and ignorance, that schooled the school boys in real life.
Thus, adults were less adept appreciating complex issues. It was easier to let others tell you what to think than to actually do one’s own thinking. This spilled over into the churches also. Hardly anyone had a grasp of basic grammar of their own language, let alone the underlying original languages of the Bible. I am firmly committed to everyone having the Bible in their native vernacular language. This gives everyone access to the Gospel message of salvation. However, if one is to grow spiritually mature and exercise discernment then one needs have some grasp of the original Hebrew {Old Testament} and Greek {New Testament}. Let me illustrate why with two apparently simple verses from John’s Gospel (Jo 8:31-32).
“So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
Christ is speaking to Jews who claimed to believe what He was saying about Himself being the Messiah. However, Jesus understood that they only believed Him in the context of their expectations of a Jewish Messiah. They believed that the Messiah would be human, not God, and would be a great military leader. He would throw off Roman rule and make Israel great again so that they would rule the entire world. Of course, to achieve this they would be the ones ruling over others; i.e., they would be taking the place of the Romans. This was not Christ’s role, especially during His First Advent.
The above verse in English is okay but essentially loses much of the force that is contained in the original language, Koine Greek. Lets us look at three words to illustrate the problem. The first word we will examine is the word, abide. In English this means to stay but it is not a very strong word in our language. However, in the Greek {μένω} in this context actually means to “endure”. This is much stronger and gives the understanding that there will be opposition since one has to endure. Thus, Christ is telling these Jews who claim to believe in Him that they will have to endure if they are truly His disciples. In this sentence the word abide is an aorist, active subjunctive verb. Aorist is not found in the English language. Though it is usually translated as past tense it also may have a future essence depending on its context, as it does in this usage. The subjunctive simply means, if this then that. If you endure then you are truly disciples. You endure because of something that occurred in the past but will find complete fulfillment in the future (Ep 1:3-6).
Our next word is know. Not only will you be His disciple but you will also know the truth; i.e., the Gospel. The world know in the Greek {γινώσκω} is in the future middle indicative voice. This provides the context by which we understand our aorist tense for abide has a future connotation. Our knowing is an ongoing process that will reach its fulfillment in the future (1Co 13:12). Paul said that he sees the truth of Christ as through an enigma but when He sees Him he will be like Him. This agrees with what Christ is saying here. In addition, the Greek middle voice has no corresponding English voice and often is translated in the passive voice. However, in the Greek the middle voice means that the action is occurring to you but not by you. In other words, you shall know the truth but not because you apprehend the truth but because you are taught the truth, in this case by the Holy Spirit (1Co 2:14). The Jews believed they could gain truth through their own understanding, as do many Christians today. The truth of God cannot be grasped by us for it is foolishness to us. Yet, without the truth of God one cannot be free, from sin (Ro 6:16-18).
In fact, that is our last concept, to be set free {ἐλευθερόω}. This verb is in the future active indicative voice. At some future time the one who endures in Christ’s word will be free set free. While this verb is not in the middle voice, the noun performing the action is not the believer but the truth. Understanding the truth of Christ as taught by the Holy Spirit brings one to the truth of the Gospel of salvation by which the now-believer calls out Abba {Daddy} to God (Ga 4:6-7). Notice a common theme? Christ was telling those Jews who claim to believe in Him that they could not believe in Him from their own understanding. If one believed it was because it was given to one by the Father; i.e., one must be born from above (Jo 3:3; 6:44). The term born again is an over simplification and not literally correct. We are not born again but we are born from above by the direct will of the Father.
Notice what basic controversy is negated by understanding the Greek as opposed to our vernacular English. The entire concept of free will is destroyed by a simple understanding of the Greek verb tenses. Thus, what appears to be a contradiction in the English is not in doubt in the Greek. One is saved only by the direct action of the Father without any additional action on our part; in fact, God acts against our sin nature bring us to salvation against our wills. Once we receive our new nature we embrace the truth agreeing with the will of the Father (2Co 5:17).
The Jews who said they believed revealed they did not believe when confronted with Christ’s expose. They rejected His words for their own version of truth which made them the heroes of their own stories! Unfortunately, many today who claim the title of Christian also reject the clear teaching of God to preserve their own truth and glory. If anyone did one thing to bring about their salvation then Christ died foolishly (Ga 2:21). Now, are we to have peace in the church by compromising the truth? Christ never compromised the truth but many today would hold to almost no truths in order to keep peace in the churches. Let us do as Christ showed; walk in the truth and those who will walk in the truth will walk with us and those that would have their own truth will expose themselves and walk a different direction. There will be peace on our part but there will not be peace on their part for darkness always hates the light (Jo 3:19-21). Will I compromise that for which Christ died? Will you?